Prince Harry 'upset but not surprised' at losing military title to Prince William

Prince Harry 'upset but not surprised' at losing military title to Prince William

WATCH NOW: King Charles hands over a senior military role to his son

GB News
Dorothy Reddin

By Dorothy Reddin


Published: 26/05/2024

- 13:15

Updated: 26/05/2024

- 13:26

The Duke of Sussex trained to fly Apaches with the Army Air Corps

Prince Harry was "upset but not surprised" at losing the title of colonel-in-chief of his old regiment to Prince William, a royal commentator has claimed.

Earlier this month, King Charles handed a blue beret and the responsibilities of colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps over to his eldest son, the Prince of Wales.


The monarch was affiliated with the group for 32 years, while the Duke of Sussex trained to fly Apaches with the Army Air Corps.

In 2010, his father presented him with his provisional wings before he served in Afghanistan.

Prince Harry, King, William

King Charles handed colonel-in-chief of Army Air Corps to William

Getty

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Prince Harry wearing his Captain-General of the Royal Marines uniform for the last time in 2020

PA

For many years, Prince Harry was widely tipped to become their colonel-in-chief. However, his decision to leave royal duties with Meghan Markle in 2020 meant he could not have official military ties.

Therefore, Prince William has become the colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps, and not Prince Harry.

In 2020, royal biographers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand opened up about Meghan and Harry's reaction to the duke losing his honorary military titles.

They wrote: "Harry's lifelong commitment to the military was why the Mountbatten Festival of Music three days later was a particularly difficult moment; he was set to wear his Captain-General of the Royal Marines uniform for the very last time.

King Charles and Prince William

King Charles handed Prince William the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps

Getty

"During a conversation backstage, on arrival, Harry told Major General Matthew Holmes: 'I'm devastated that I am having to step down.'

"'It was so unnecessary", Meghan later told a friend of the decision to strip Harry of his military honours.

"'And it's not just taking something away from him; it's also that entire military veteran community. You can see how much he means to them, too. So why? The powers [of the institution] are unfortunately greater than me.

"Though the evening served as a poignant tribute to Britain's Armed Forces, it also became a moment to thank the much-loved prince for his contributions to the military community."

King Charles and Prince Harry

Charles and Harry stand in front of an Apache Helicopter in 2011

Getty
Prince Harry

Harry was an Apache helicopter pilot in the army

Getty

Royal author Gareth Russell spoke exclusively to GB News regarding Harry's feelings after missing out on the title of colonel-in-chief of his old regiment.

He said: "The Duke of Sussex's wife has obviously indicated in private conversations on the record that the military does matter to him, and that losing the military posts was something that he felt very keenly.

"That being said, it's hard to imagine how anyone could have thought that the command of the regiment would go to anyone but the current Prince of Wales.

"So he may be upset but I don't think surprised."

You may like